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MKDM 3324 CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

Introduction to the nature and determinants of consumer behavior.  Primary emphasis is placed on developing an understanding of psychological characteristics that influence and shape consumer purchase decisions. Prerequisite: BUSI 3313.

• Define consumer behavior and understand the scope of consumer behavior.
• Demonstrate understanding of consumer behavior within the marketing concept, including issues concerning customer value, satisfaction, and retention, consumer research, and marketing ethics and social responsibility.
• Explain the basic psychological concepts that account for individual behavior and demonstrate how these concepts influence the individual’s consumption-related behavior.
• Explain how social and cultural concepts affect the attitudes and behavior of individuals in the United States and the world beyond.
• Explain the consumer’s decision-making process.

MKDM 3334 DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Explores current and emerging forms of digital and social media, and how to leverage them to build brands and engage customers. Students will evaluate digital and social media against communication and marketing objectives and develop effective media plans. Prerequisite: BUSI 3313.

• Demonstrate understanding of the unique impact digital and social media has on traditional marketing theory.
• Demonstrate understanding of the opportunities and threats “new” media poses to marketers.
• List and explain the different types of digital and social media as effective tools for reaching consumers and achieving marketing communication objectives.
• Demonstrate understanding of the intersection that digital and social media provide for brands and consumers.
• Differentiate between Search Engine Marketing and Social Media Marketing.
• Apply knowledge of digital media to create action plans for strategic communications.

MKDM 3344 BRAND MANAGEMENT

Provides students with a comprehensive treatment of brands, brand equity, and brand management. Includes the design and implementation of marketing programs and activities to build, measure, and manage brand equity. Prerequisite: BUSI 3313.

• Demonstrate understanding of the concept of a brand.
• Differentiate between effective and ineffective brand strategies.
• Develop marketing strategies that create brand equity in domestic and global markets.
• Evaluate and measure brand equity.
• Utilize brand equity in a way that extends business opportunities domestically and internationally.

MKDM 3354 MARKET RESEARCH

Provides an in-depth review of the marketing research function in a contemporary business environment. The course will discuss the market research process, focus on secondary data, and introduce students to quantitative and qualitative primary data collection methods. Prerequisites: MATH 1313, BUSI 3313.

Define the roles and goals of market research as they relate to strategic and tactical planning.

Explain the research process as it relates to data collection and task identification.

Explain the research scope in terms of problem definition, research objectives and ethics.

Explain the differences in the type and use of primary and secondary data in marketing research.

Explain the relative usefulness of different research designs and data collection procedures: exploratory, descriptive, and experimental methods.

Demonstrate understanding of some of the most common applications of research tools for organizations engaged in marketing.

MKDM 3364 PUBLIC RELATIONS

Stresses the philosophical underpinnings of public relations practices, including the importance of management and planning, ethics and research, communication, and public opinion. Explores the practical applications such as the emergence of video and integration of public relations, marketing, and advertising into broader marketing communications campaigns. Prerequisite: BUSI 3313.

Develop effective public relations and analyze situations and arrive at solutions that distinguish the practice.

Identify role of public relations in today’s media oriented society through the use of videotapes of current controversies involving major corporations.

Demonstrate understanding of the challenges involved in making public relations decisions in moments of crisis.

Demonstrate understanding the public relations process through preparation of a public relations plan for a sample organization to include press kits, news releases, backgrounds, fact sheets, work photos, and stand-by statements.

• Illustrate the real and dramatic impact of the internet on the expansion of the communications process, and the future potential, and challenges of this medium in the public relations field.

MKDM 4314 ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT

Provides students with a broad view of advertising principles and their relation to the marketing process. Students gain an understanding of the three key functional areas of advertising: account management, media planning, and creative design. Prerequisite: BUSI 3313.

• Demonstrate understanding of the role of advertising in the marketing process.
• Differentiate between, and demonstrate understanding of the three functional areas of advertising – account management, media planning, and creative design.
• Understand how an advertising agency, and ads themselves, work.
• Conduct primary and secondary research to gain insights for advertising strategy.
• Develop and analyze strategic decisions, such as targeting and positioning, based on research findings.
• Demonstrate advertising skills in an ethical and legal way.
• Demonstrate understanding of new trends in advertising and media technology.

MKDM 4335 MEDIA STRATEGY AND METRICS

Focuses on linking target markets with advertising media through the development of media objectives, strategies, and tactics. Students use secondary research to create media plans that balance effectiveness and efficiency. Prerequisite: MKDM 3334, MKDM 3354.

• Demonstrate understanding of the importance of media for advertising and brand management.
• Demonstrate understanding of the characteristics of the different forms of advertising media.
• Match media vehicles with target audiences.
• Calculate media costs, such as CPM.
• Develop media communication goals.
• Prepare an advertising media plan.
• Evaluate advertising media plans.

MKDM 4342 ADVERTISING DESIGN

Examines the design principles and how they intersect with advertising management and strategy.  Provides students with the theoretical tools to produce great ads and allows students to begin to practice the craft of design. Prerequisites: MKDM 3334, MKDM 4314.

• Describe the roles and functions of advertising design in relation to the larger advertising process.  
• Combine advertising design with the remaining promotional mix tools to create Integrated Marketing Communication plans. 
• Define target customers in terms of demographics and psychographics.
• Connect target audiences with appropriate creative message strategies.
• Evaluate the strength of various advertising designs in relation to media choices and to budgetary constraints and reach/frequency goals.
• Differentiate between effective and ineffective advertisements designs.
• Apply principles of effective design to produce sample advertising.

MKDM 4390 THE IMC CAMPAIGN

Provides students with a hands-on application of program content via creation of a fully functional IMC campaign.  Students will isolate a “client,” conduct secondary and primary research, set communication objectives, develop strategy, and produce the communication pieces such as ads, press releases, and other tactical executions. Prerequisites: MKDM 4335.

• Extract primary research information from a client and consumer groups.
• Perform secondary research in relation to a real marketing communication problem.
• Develop communications objectives and write a fully Integrated Marketing Communications Plan that achieves stated objectives.
• Compose an evaluation plan for tracking the effectiveness of the plan in relation to stated objectives.